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BMW Lac Rose Concept – A Vintage-Styled ADV Bike

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What you see here is an homage back to a day when men were men, and the Dakar Rally actually went to Dakar, the capital of Senegal and the western-most point of Africa.

Called the BMW Lac Rose Concept, this retooled BMW R nineT is named after Lac Rose (Lake Retba to some), which is just outside of Dakar – a picturesque locale, for a photogenic motorcycle.

BMW Motorrad styled the Lac Rose concept after the Dakar Rally bikes of the 1980s, which adds to the retro flare that the German brand has been channeling though its R nineT platform.

If you believe the rumors, the Lac Rose could very well go into production, as a 2017 model year machine, thus adding a trifecta of throwback machines to BMW’s R nineT lineup, with the R nineT roadster and scrambler models already strong sellers.

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Event

At the 8th Annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering

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This past weekend, nearly 3,000 motorcyclists descended on the Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel, California.

They didn’t go to the Quail to golf; rather, they went to see the 8th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering. With roughly 400 motorcycles of all genres and years on display, the Quail offered something for everyone.

Unlike last year, this year’s event offered a lot more sunshine and warmer temperatures, and featured the 40th Anniversary of the superbike and a tribute to pre-1916 motorcycles.

Additionally, there were display categories for motorcycles from all parts of the globe. The quantity and quality of the machines on display was impressive.

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Bikes

At the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

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Overwhelming, but in a really good way. That’s the best way to describe the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Officially categorized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest motorcycle museum, the collection at Barber contains over 1,400 motorcycles with over 650 on display at any one time.

Over 20 manufacturers are represented, and the collections spans over 100 years of motorcycling’s history. This is truly a destination that no motorcycle enthusiast should miss.

Founded by George Barber in 1995, the museum started in downtown Birmingham, Alabama before moving to its current location in the Birmingham suburb of Leeds in 2003.

The 144,000 square foot museum comfortably rests on the grounds of the Barber Motorsports Park, with the entire back half of the building overlooking the popular 2.38 mile track.

George Barber started as a car racer, racing Porsches and racking up 63 victories. From that background, he began collecting cars, but quickly realized there were numerous world-class car collections that already existed.

On the other hand, there really wasn’t a world class motorcycle museum that truly captured the history of the sport. Barber saw an opportunity, began collecting motorcycles, and the rest is history.

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Bikes

Things We Like, Part 1: Honda CB4 Concept

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Honda isn’t saying too much about its CB4 concept, and we are not sure they need to – the motorcycle speaks for itself. Just in case you can’t hear it, the retro-style standard is an appealing machine, which draws a distinct line to the Hondas of a couple generations ago.

The Honda CB4 concept seems to be built off the Honda CBR650F platform, though the concept is certainly as far as you can get from the CBR650F in terms of feeling and inspiration.

To that end, a single-sided swingarm has been added, the exhaust routed stylishly and polished, and we are a big fan of the solid iron front brake discs with radially mounted Tokico calipers, in red…naturally.

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Racing

Video: Belgian Classic TT

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A video we should probably save for a Throwback Thursday, we bring you this short film by Tim Buys, which features last year’s Belgian TT Classic. A race open to any motorcycle of 40 years age or older, the Clas­sic Racing Motor­cycles Bel­gium (CRMB) holds the Classic TT in Gedinne, Belgium on a short road course that measures 3.15 miles in length.

With 22 proper turns and one chicane, it is interesting that the longest straight on the course is only 200 meters long, still the road course is considered to be quite fast for the vintage bikes that race on it. If you like your race bike older than their racers, and your race courses on public roads then we’ve got a special treat for you after the jump. Happy Monday.

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Banter

Good Morning.

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After a long slumber sitting in a a collector’s garage, this Honda CR 750 M3 Factory Racer recently revved back to life near Dubai one early morning. Like anything that has been asleep for so long, it takes come coaxing and motivation to move past the slumber that lingers, and begin the day anew — firing on all cylinders if you will pardon the pun.

Documenting the awakening of this very special Honda CR 750 M3 race bike, Crank & Piston has a nice break down of the event, with some photos and an account of the storied Honda’s history. We just like that this short clip catches the waking beast, as we too are not morning people. Your Monday stars after the jump.

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Racing

What MotoGP Racing at Laguna Seca Would Look Like Without Electronic Rider Aids

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Back when men were men…yada yada yada, and all that. You know, the real interesting thing about watching this footage from 1985 is, well…how interesting the racing is to watch, even with the commentary being in Japanese. Front wheels several feet in the air on acceleration, plenty of rider-on-rider corner stuffing, and the only traction control coming from the rider’s right wrist.

Perhaps making this 26-year-old clip such a keeper is how cool racing at Seca used to be is the recurrent wheelies the riders are popping coming down the corkscrew. Jaws dropped when

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Banter

Video: Garage Company by Michael Schmidt

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Here’s something to start your work week off on the right foot: a short film by Michael Schmidt that features Garage Company, a vintage motorcycle shop in Inglewood, California. Done as a promotion for the Born Free 3 gathering, Schmidt profiles shop owner Yoshi Kosaka, who started Garage Company back in 1987 as a way to store his ever-growing motorcycle collection.

With Yoshi working on his bikes in his shop, one thing lead to another, and what had been a hobby started becoming a business, and well…the rest is history (if you don’t already know it, the whole story is actually pretty neat, and you can read it on Garage Company’s site).

There’s a feel good vintage vibe to Schmidt’s vidoe, which seems to jive well with Yoshi’s down-to-earth classic motorcycle shop. Check out this great video after the jump, and get ready for some old-school motorcycle treats.

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News

Photos: The Daytona 200 Thirty-Five Years Ago – When Bikes Were Bikes & Men Were Men

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Though it no longer quite stands as the international judge of motorcycle road racing that it once was, the Daytona 200 is still one of the last races where motorcycles require the spectacle of refueling and tire changes. Recent years have been marked by attempts at night racing and growing pains as DMG took over running the event and the AMA Pro Racing series. While many long for “the good ol’days,” these photographs from 35 years ago, at the 1976 Daytona 200, give one a sense of what once was, and might be again.

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Banter

Video: Freddie Spencer Explains Motorcycle Racing

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Mondays can be a little rough, especially if you were up at 5AM PST like we were to catch the MotoGP race on SPEED. If that’s the case for you as well, or if you’re just not a morning person, we’ve got just the thing to help you transition into a functioning human being this Monday morning. Grab a coffee from the office kitchenette, and get ready for 28 minutes of old-school motorcycle racing pontification from none other than Freddie Spencer.

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Bikes

Triumph Scrambler in Black & White

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Triumph has made a great name for itself with its modern take on vintage motorcycles, the “Bonnie” being our personal favorite. So what better way to promote the Triumph Scrambler than to take it out for a vintage style photo shoot using some black and white film? The result is 15 photos that could have been taken a weekend ago, or a generation ago. We especially enjoyed the obligatory cigarette in mouth while sliding shot. Check it out after the jump.

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